Five places to find good fics set in the world of BtVS.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I'm going to limit this to LJ or DW communities, and it will probably be pretty Spuffy-centric (because that's how I roll), but these communities and the mods who give up their time to keep them active, deserve attention.

sb_fag_ends = Don't know what I can say about this amazing place that I haven't said before, but if you don't read there, you are really missing out. For whatever reason, almost everything posted there is original, smart, gripping in some way (you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe), and well written. They are all short ficlets (although some can be strung together as stand-alone chapters that form a "verse"), so a great place to go for a quick read to fill some time. You may also discover some authors you didn't know about.

sb_ashtray - for fics that got too long for sb_fag_ends, or were finished too late for that week's prompts, or that otherwise weren't suited for that community. The same sort of quality, because it's mostly the same authors or others just as good.

http://seasonal-spuffy.dreamwidth.org/ - This wonderful community just keeps going. There's always someone willing to step up and be that round's mod. So far, so good. The main community is now on DW, but is easily accessed by LJ users. Round Fifteen just finished before the holidays.

fantas_magoria - A wonderful archive of fics written for every season of BtVS. They are on season 7 now, so I don't know where it will go from there, but the listing of fics already posted or linked to should keep anyone busy reading for years! Each round is a different episode and any fics that take place in the episode, or take off from that episode are eligible.

Lastly, seeking_spike - a community to help you locate fics, art work, etc you may have lost track of and want to reread.***Despite the Spike-centric name for this community, it's actually for any and all of the characters and/or ships in the Buffyverse. :) It is not a rec community, but one to help readers locate things they've already seen somewhere.

My Top 5 Meta for 2012

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

For my very first post to this community I wanted to list some of my favorite Buffyverse meta essays of the year.  Fiction seems to be the overwhelming fan vehicle of choice, at least here on LJ/DW, but it was meta essays that pulled me into this fandom.  These are by no means "the best" of the year (my full list would be closer to 10 or 11 essays), but represent some that are my touchstones for this 'verse and it's fandom:

"Rules of Engagement: Violence and Hyperreality in the Buffyverse"  by  lostboy_lj  may be my "if you only read one meta from 2012" choice. Why Buffy and Spike's relationship in S6 is not directly analogous to abusive relationships in RL, using "Smashed" as it's focal point.

"Buffy, the Vampire Slayer vs Buffy the Vampire Slayer"  by  beer_good_foamy.  Most post-modernist thinky-thoughts; how the show's title represents the central problem of the narrative for it's titular protagonist, and how Buffy resolves her dilemma in "Chosen".

"Word of Willow: "Witch", Mirrors, and Mommy Issues"   by  local_max.  What I hope to be the first of several Willow-centric essays from someone who has plumbed the depths of Willow's character more thoroughly and compassionately than any fan I know of.

"Warren Mears"   by  itsnotmymind.  Draws parallels between Warren, Faith and Spike, how they mirror, intertwine and intersect thematically and within the story itself, and what they represent re: Buffy's psychology. Wonderfully complex.

"Where Did I Go? A Farewell to the Buffybot"  by  mcjulie.  One of the few essays I've seen in these parts about one of the Buffyverse's most memorable characters.  (While I'm here, I'll note that  mcjulie  has also taken on the awesome task of continuing the  "Episode Polls"  and discussion where  gabrielleabelle  left off, starting with S5's "Tough Love". Especially recommended is her poll and meta commentary on  "The Gift".)

Also posted on Dreamwidt http://buffyversetop5.dreamwidth.org/329742.html

My Top 5 Meta for 2012

[red_satin_doll]

For my very first post to this community I wanted to list some of my favorite Buffyverse meta essays of the year. Fiction seems to be the overwhelming fan vehicle of choice, at least here on LJ/DW, but it was meta essays that pulled me into this fandom. These are by no means "the best" of the year (my full list would be closer to 10 or 11 essays), but represent some that are my touchstones for this 'verse and it's fandom:

"Rules of Engagement: Violence and Hyperreality in the Buffyverse"  by  lostboy_lj   may be my "if you only read one meta from 2012" choice. Why Buffy and Spike's relationship in S6 is not directly analogous to abusive relationships in RL, using "Smashed" as it's focal point.

"Buffy, the Vampire Slayer vs Buffy the Vampire Slayer"  by  beer_good_foamy.   Most post-modernist thinky-thoughts; how the show's title represents the central problem of the narrative for it's titular protagonist, and how Buffy resolves her dilemma in "Chosen".

"Word of Willow: "Witch", Mirrors, and Mommy Issues"  by  local_max .   What I hope to be the first of several Willow-centric essays from someone who has plumbed the depths of Willow's character more thoroughly and compassionately than any fan I know of.

"Warren Mears"  by  itsnotmymind .   Draws parallels between Warren, Faith and Spike, how they mirror, intertwine and intersect thematically and within the story itself, and what they represent re: Buffy's psychology. Wonderfully complex.

"Where Did I Go? A Farewell to the Buffybot"   by  mcjulie .   One of the few essays I've seen in these parts about one of the Buffyverse's most memorable characters. (While I'm here, I'll note that mcjulie has also taken on the awesome task of continuing the   "Episode Polls"   and discussion where gabrielleabelle  left off, starting with S5's  "Tough Love".  Especially recommended is her poll and meta commentary on "The Gift".)


Originally posted on LiveJournal http://buffyversetop5.livejournal.com/341066.html